Bizen Beer Mug

This brand-new Bizen beer mug was fresh from the kiln of artist Takashi Soga, who challenges the beauty of antiquity by recreating the environment in which Old Bizen was fired. To replicate the style of the Old Bizen era, the kiln was built without using modern materials like firebricks; due to its internal heat efficiency, it defies all contemporary standards. Consequently, it produces an exquisite clay texture that transcends modern aesthetics, closely approaching the quality of Old Bizen. The mellow scarlet hue is not the result of under-firing, but rather the color of the clay itself after being fully vitrified, brilliantly reproducing the intense scarlet skin typical of the Old Bizen style. The *hidasuki* (fire-cord) markings have also darkened in response to the high-temperature firing, creating a magnificent finish reminiscent of the red ground with black *hidasuki* seen on large Old Bizen bowls. Despite the strength of the firing, the texture is remarkably smooth and soft, allowing you to not only realize the dream of enjoying beer in an Old Bizen-style vessel, but also to find yourself captivated by the soft, tactile quality of the piece itself. Paper box
Diameter 8.1cm x 7.9cm x Height 11.6cm Takashi Soga was born in Tokyo in 1984. He apprenticed under Jun Isezaki in 2009 and built his kiln in Kuku-i, Bizen City, in 2012. He became independent and began his career as a ceramic artist in 2013.